Jets' Richardson impressive during rookie camp

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Sheldon Richardson used to return kicks and punts in high school, which really wouldn't be all that intriguing until you look at him.

The Associated Press

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Sheldon Richardson used to return kicks and punts in high school, which really wouldn't be all that intriguing until you look at him.

The defensive lineman is 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds, hardly fitting the prototype of a game-changing returner.

Sure, Richardson was a bit smaller back then, but he's still pretty fast for a big man. And that sideline-to-sideline speed excited the Jets enough to draft the former Missouri star in the first round two weeks ago.

"I was always the chubby kid in class that everybody picked on," Richardson said during a break at rookie camp over the weekend. "I was, and I played with a chip on my shoulder. I still feel like I'm the same kid. I like to do what skinny guys do. (If they) dunk a basketball, I want to jump as high as (them) and dunk a basketball.

"I happen to be able to dunk a basketball because of it. I have fun. I'm a kid out there."

It certainly shows. Since being drafted, Richardson has been a bundle of energy on the field with a perky personality, and an inviting smile off it. He acts as if he's been in the NFL for years, far from the timid approach that many rookies take.

Then again, it's still just rookie camp and they haven't worked with the veterans yet.

"These past few days, it's been good," Richardson said. "I can't complain. I'm in the NFL, dawg. I'm embracing the moment. That's exactly who I am. I don't try to put any added pressure on myself. The media might try to stir up stuff and try to put pressure on me or whatever, but I'm already having fun."

While nearly all the media attention has been on quarterback Geno Smith during rookie camp, Richardson has impressed his coaches with some solid practices.

"On defense, it's pretty obvious who popped out there," coach Rex Ryan said after the rookies' first practice Friday. "I mean, Sheldon Richardson was good. I don't want to put expectations too high, but, yeah, he was impressive to say the least."

Richardson was a first-round draft pick — unlike Smith, who was a second-rounder. But the big defensive lineman wasn't even the Jets' first selection. That was cornerback Dee Milliner, who was taken No. 9 overall — four spots ahead of Richardson.

Milliner hasn't practiced, and probably won't fully participate until training camp in July as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery. Milliner, a two-time national champion at Alabama, has been working with trainers as he tries to be ready to compete with Kyle Wilson for the starting spot opposite Antonio Cromartie — a role once held by Darrelle Revis.

"We're roommates right now and we're cool, man," Richardson said of Milliner. "Real laid back. Everybody's trying to make the Darrelle Revis comparisons with him, and he's not trying to be Darrelle Revis. He's trying to make his own name. We're all trying to make names for ourselves."

So far, so good for Richardson.

After the Jets took Milliner at No. 9, they debated whether to go for Richardson or Smith at No. 13, the pick New York acquired from Tampa Bay for, yep, Revis.

While many expected the Jets to go for an offensive playmaker or a pass-rushing linebacker, Richardson was their choice — a mild surprise.

"They said they wanted to add speed to the defense and improve the interior rush," Richardson said. "I guess I was the perfect fit for them."